MP blames Israel for Saturday port explosion

Defense Ministry spokesperson Brigadier General Reza Talaei-Nik told state media, "There were no imported or exported shipments related to military use or rocket fuel at the site of the incident," dismissing foreign media reports as psychological operations.

“Investigations and evidence confirm that no imported or exported cargo for fuel or military applications was present within the fire-stricken area or Shahid Rajaei port. Certain foreign media outlets are engaging in targeted sensationalism aligned with enemy psychological operations,” he said.

The remarks come following reports that the massive blast -- which killed at least 28 people and injured more than 1,000 -- was linked to the storage of sodium perchlorate, a chemical used in the production of solid rocket fuel.

While the exact cause remains undetermined, a source close to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps told the New York Times that sodium perchlorate -- a precursor chemical used to make ammonium perchlorate, an important component in solid rocket fuel -- was the likely cause of the explosion.

Investigations into the cause of the blast are ongoing, Iranian officials said, adding that the Ministry of Interior and disaster management authorities are leading the probe. Authorities pledged to publicly disclose findings once the investigation concludes.

Earlier this year, shipping data tracked by The Maritime Executive indicated that two vessels owned by the US-sanctioned Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines (IRISL) — the MV Golbon and MV Jairan — transported sodium perchlorate from China to Bandar Abbas in February and March.

The chemical is later processed at facilities such as Parchin and Khojir in Iran’s solid-fueled ballistic missile programs.

It remains unclear whether the containers from the shipments were still stored at the Sina container terminal at the time of the blast or if they played a role in the explosion.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian urged a wounded survivor of the explosion to remain optimistic during a hospital visit on Sunday, Iranian media reported.

"If I were in your place, I would get up and leave the hospital," Pezeshkian told the patient in a video widely circulated online.

Pezeshkian arrived in Bandar Abbas earlier Sunday to oversee the response to the deadly blast at Rajaei port.

At least 36 people were killed in the Rajaei port explosion, a member of Iran’s parliament said Sunday, citing forensic data.

Mohammad Jamalian, from the parliamentary health committee, told ILNA news agency that 18 victims had been identified, while severe burns made DNA testing necessary for the rest.

Jamalian said 1,241 people were injured, with 994 discharged and 240 still hospitalized, including 37 in intensive care. Five patients suffered severe burns and six were transferred elsewhere. He added that some of the unidentified remains may belong to missing persons.

The figures provided by this member of parliament regarding the number of victims, especially the fatalities, have not yet been announced or confirmed by any other official authority or the Crisis Management Headquarters.

Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian visited Bandar Abbas on Sunday to oversee the response to the deadly explosion at Rajaei Port, Iranian state media reported.

Offering condolences to the families of the dead and wishing recovery for the injured, Pezeshkian said the government would pursue any issues requiring immediate action.

"We have come to closely examine the situation," he said, according to Tasnim News. Ministers of interior and transportation had arrived earlier to coordinate relief efforts.

Arman Nozarezadeh, a national canoeing champion from Iran’s Hormozgan province, was killed in an explosion at Rajaei port, Iranian media reported on Saturday.

The Ministry of Sports and Youth expressed condolences over his death, calling Nozarezadeh “one of the bright figures of Iranian watersports” in a statement carried by Tasnim.